Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association
2009 Radio & Television Contest Rules
The Associated Press Broadcasters Association radio and television news award competition is open to all
The competition runs by calendar year, Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2009.
Entries must be in the
PDF DOWNLOADS:
Click here to download the official rules for the 2009 contest!
Click here to download the entry form for the 2009 contest!
Click here to download the master list form for the 2009 contest!
MAIL ENTRIES TO:
The Associated Press
218 N. Charles St., Suite 330
Entries that arrive after Feb. 26, 2010, regardless of their postmark date, WILL BE RETURNED. All entries must have entry form attached to the entry or entries WILL BE RETURNED. A company check MUST be enclosed or all tapes WILL BE RETURNED.
IMPORTANT : Entries must be sent either by postage-paid mail or by pre-paid express to the addresses supplied from year to year. All entries from a single station must be included in a single shipment.
A company check MUST be enclosed or all entries WILL BE RETURNED. ***Please make your check payable to
ENTRY FEES:
TV STATIONS
$50 per entry
METRO RADIO STATIONS
$30 per entry
($40 if only one entry)
NON-METRO RADIO STATIONS
$25 per entry
($30 if only one entry)
All television entries are considered in one of four classifications: (1)
Awards are presented at the annual meeting of the
The winners will be notified as soon as possible after the judges have reached their decision. The general membership of the CAPBA will be notified only that the winners have been chosen.
NO PUBLIC RELEASE BY THE WINNERS IS PERMITTED UNTIL THE EVENING THE AWARDS ARE PRESENTED.
GENERAL RULES
1. A station may submit more than one entry in each category except Outstanding News Operation, Outstanding Year-Round Sports and Best Newscast. In those three categories, a station may submit only one entry. THERE WILL BE NO MULTIPLE ENTERING OF THE SAME ENTRY IN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. In all categories except Outstanding Spot News Reporting, entries may consist of a series of related stories, with the provision that these related stories in any one category MUST BE ON THE SAME TAPE OR DISC.
2. Each separate entry must be accompanied by a contest entry blank. The attached blank may be reproduced or additional copies will be provided ON REQUEST by the
3. Each entry can be accompanied by a written presentation. Judges will consider written information, NOT the quality of the production of the written information. All entries should include basic information on market, station and department size. Judges will take this information into consideration when comparing the merits of competing entries.
4. Television entries should be on DVD. VHS tape entries will be accepted but are strongly discouraged. Standard compact discs are the preferred format for radio entries. Cassette tapes will be accepted but are strongly discouraged.
5. Separate DVDs/compact discs must be submitted for each entry. Each container and each disc must be labeled to show the name and address of the station, the category, and the names of the personnel involved.
6. Neither radio nor TV tapes may be doctored to improve original quality or content. For example, scripts cannot be rewritten, or a story originally fed by two-way cannot be submitted as if it were tape of line quality.
7. A station may enter work performed by free-lancers, stringers or outside agencies under the direction of the news department. But each outside source may be entered by only one station subscribing to its services.
8. NO ENTRY OR ENTRIES WILL BE RETURNED.
CATEGORIES
1. OUTSTANDING SPOT NEWS REPORTING -- Entries should consist of enterprise and complete treatment of one spot news story. Tape is limited to 15 minutes.
2. OUTSTANDING NEWS SERIES – Entries should exhibit exceptional coverage of a single subject reported in series of reports in an unspecified number of segments. Tape is limited to 20 minutes.
3. OUTSTANDING COVERAGE OF A CONTINUING STORY – Entries should exhibit outstanding continuing coverage of a major developing story. Tape should include several reports. Tape length is limited to 20 minutes.
4. OUTSTANDING USE OF SOUND (RADIO ONLY) – Submit a tape showing creative use of sound to tell a story on radio. Tape must be exactly as heard on air. Tape is limited to 10 minutes.
5. OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY OR IN-DEPTH REPORTING -- This award is offered for outstanding examples of in-depth coverage of a community problem or a significant news event. Entries may be a single report or a series of reports. Tape may be 30 min. long.
6. OUTSTANDING YEAR-ROUND LOCAL SPORTS COVERAGE -- Entries should show one or more examples of the station's non-network coverage of sports during the contest year. Examples may include play-by-play, interviews, action, excerpts from sports broadcasts, sports series or specials dealing with local sports, and so on. Tape limited to 30 minutes.
7. OUTSTANDING EDITORIAL OR COMMENTARY -- Entries should show exceptional initiative or courage in presenting editorial comment on a specific issue. A single editorial will suffice, although a series on the same subject may be entered to illustrate an editorial campaign. Tape is limited to 15 minutes.
8. OUTSTANDING PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM OR SERIES -- This award is offered for outstanding examples of comprehensive, informed and effective radio and television public service reporting. The entry may be either an instance of unusually thorough news or special coverage of an event of importance to the community served; or the effective presentation, through news and documentary stories, programs or series of stories and/or programs prepared by the station, of issues affecting the community's interest and well-being. Judges are instructed to pay particular attention to initiative, planning, and comprehensiveness of coverage, clarity, interest, vision and understanding in promoting the public welfare, usefulness and reaction in terms of goals sought. Tape limited to 30 minutes.
9. OUTSTANDING ENTERPRISE REPORTING -- An award to a reporter who in the opinion of the judges develops through his or her own initiative a news story with the most impact on the station's coverage area. The intention of this award is to recognize the reporter's enterprise in digging up a story that would not have been told without his or her effort. Tape limited to 15 minutes.
10. OUTSTANDING FEATURE OR HUMAN INTEREST STORY -- Entries may be limited to a single report or may include excerpts from a related series. But in no event shall the tape exceed 15 minutes.
11. OUTSTANDING SPORTS FEATURE -- Entries may be limited to a single report or may include excerpts from a related series. But in no event shall the tape exceed 15 minutes.
12. OUTSTANDING TELEVISION PHOTOGRAPHY -- This award is presented to that TV photojournalist who in the opinion of the judges has produced the best quality and imagination in capturing a story or stories on tape. Entries may be a single news story or several stories. Tape limited to 15 minutes.
13. OUTSTANDING SPECIALTY REPORTING -- Entries will be accepted from a beat reporter in a specialist area: i.e. consumer, health, science, business, environment, and education. Entries will be considered on the basis of how well they convey important information about a topic within a specialist area. This reporter regularly covers this beat. Tape limited to 15 minutes.
14. OUTSTANDING WEATHERCAST (TV ONLY) – Stations may enter a weathercast that aired during any regularly scheduled newscast from Jan. 1, 2008 through Dec. 15, 2008.
15. OUTSTANDING NEWSCAST -- Stations may enter a newscast that aired during any regularly scheduled newscast from Jan. 1, 2008 through Dec. 15, 2008.
16. OUTSTANDING NEWS OPERATION OF THE YEAR -- Entries will be judged on two factors:
A. Written summation of the station's innovation and accomplishments in news during the year with a description of its general news operation stating why it considers that operation the best in its classification.
B. Tape examples of the representative news programs or a raw composite of the individual stories or series. The examples may include tape submitted in other categories. Individual elements may not be re-edited and fancy presentation production tapes should be avoided. Tape limited to 30 minutes.
17. OUTSTANDING TALK SHOW (Radio only) Best example of a regularly-scheduled, locally originated, news-oriented talk show program. Entries must include listener call-in component. 30-minute time limit. Delete all commercial breaks, but no other editing may be done. Entries can include a written summary. Limit two entries per station.
18. OUTSTANDING WEB SITE
This award will be given to a station which effectively uses its web site to disseminate news and information.
Site will be judged in real time, as judges will be asked to view each web site on the same day. Criteria shall include overall appearance, news/sports content, ease of navigation, variety of information available, relevant links, interactivity, use of audio, video and other technologies, and whether it appears to be a valuable resource to the community served by the station. Entrants must generate their own news content, in addition to any content generated from providers such as wire services or networks.
Entrants must submit the website address, and up to three URLs in the same domain (to highlight specific features or web pages that are no longer “live”, e.g. an election page).
19. CERTIFICATE FOR OUTSTANDING NEWS PROTECTION OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS --These will be awarded by The AP staff in Baltimore and Washington, taking into consideration such factors as regularity and promptness with which a station contributes news; its reliability; and the value of the news contributed. No awards will be made on the basis of quantity alone. Generally, no fewer than a total of three nor more than six certificates will be awarded annually, but exceptions may be made in unusual circumstances. No formal entries are required.